NEW YORK — The Knicks haven’t given their fans much reason for optimism this season. Between the 9-19 record, the calls for Mike Woodson’s job and Carmelo Anthony’s pending free agency, being a Knicks fans hasn’t been a barrel of laughs to start the 2013-14 season.But it hasn’t been all bad. Want proof? Just look at the play of Tim Hardaway Jr. When the Knicks drafted Hardaway with the 24th overall pick last June, some saw him as a player the organization could develop behind Iman Shumpert and J.

The Knicks’ Christmas Day matchup with powerhouse Oklahoma City arrived a long time ago, back when the schedule came back. And there it sat beneath their fans’ proverbial tree, beautifully wrapped with a big bow and inviting all kinds of anticipation.

There was frustration in the Knicks’ locker room after the 123-94 Christmas Day loss to Oklahoma City. None more than from Beno Udrih, the third-string point guard who now has been forced into the starting role after injuries to Raymond Felton (groin) and Pablo Prigioni.

The white Christmas gift bags with the NBA logo and red bows were at the Oklahoma City Thunder players’ lockers by Wednesday at noon, proof that Saint Nick had been at the Garden to spread some holiday cheer.

From my untrained eye, it looks like the next two games will define the rest of the Knicks’ season. If they sweep Toronto, the team can stay the course, knowing that they have an excellent shot of eventually taking over the division and getting the 4th seed. Heck, they might even be the favorites to win the opening playoff series. And judging by all of the self-congratulatory back-patting after last season, winning a meaningless round of the playoffs is good enough for Dolan.

If they get swept by Toronto, they may need to consider blowing it up. Woodson would almost definitely be fired, and they’ll have dug themselves a pretty big hole in the Atlantic. More to the point, they can’t claim that they have the talent to just naturally rise in the mediocre division. If Melo is healthy, he’ll be fully rested. Chandler’s been back enough games where they can’t legitimately hide behind the claim of “rust” or this roster needing more games to gel. We’re talking about the Rapters here, not going into Indiana and winning a tough game on the road.

If they split, we’re in no man’s land. Knicks can still hope, heck presume, that they’ll eventually take over the division, but the clock will continue to tick. And they’ll be approaching 2014 without ANY signs of having the swagger of last year. When is the hot streak coming? WILL the hotstreak come?

And finally, should Knicks fans even be rooting for a sweep in these two games? Is there value in staying afloat, or should the goal be to hit rock bottom so that management can’t hide behind false-success. Is being Charlotte in the first round of the playoffs really enough to hang your hat on, if it means getting embarrassed in five games to Indiana in round two?

The answer for me is simple. I root against the Knicks until Dolan sells, or gets waaaay out of the way. But I’ve been the angry guy in outfield from Major League II ever since Van Gundy quit, so my vote really doesn’t count.